Rob and Rachel Feltham's Perfect Wedding & Perfect Wedding Entertainment!

It was such a relaxed atmosphere in the evening and this was mainly down to Steve Young’s beautiful and mesmerising performance.

Where did your wedding take place, why did you choose that venue, and how big was your wedding party?

Our wedding took place on a glorious sunny spring day in March at the beautiful Yeovil Court Hotel in Yeovil, Somerset, my home town. We chose this intimate and cosy venue as we wanted a small and relaxed civil ceremony, and it was perfect for each element of our special day, and our guests could relax in the same venue all day. Our civil ceremony took place in the lounge with just 27 of our closest family members, followed by an intimate wedding breakfast of spring vegetable soup, breast of local chicken with thyme sauce, and the sweetest homemade Bramley apple pie!

Did you have a theme for your wedding, and what sort of look and feel did you want to create?

We knew our wedding day would be very emotional, but we wanted it to be as relaxed and intimate as possible, and we also wanted to be a bit “different” so the day was perfectly un-traditional and completely tailored for us! We also wanted our wedding entertainment to reflect this.

I arrived at the hotel at 11.00 am in glorious sunshine and, having taken everything to the hotel the night before in pouring rain, it was a very relaxed morning as I dressed in the bridal suite. Many of my friends went out of their way to surprise me on the morning and turned up to help me get ready, complete with champagne! I have some very special photos capturing these relaxed moments before kick off, surrounded by my friends!

The groom arrived at 12.30 pm, together with our family members, all dressed to impress. (Little did they know I was peeping from the window of the bridal suite, except when Rob arrived of course, my friends wouldn’t let me look!)

My dad knocked on the door, it was 1.00 pm and I could hear music playing, a choral version of Songbird was floating through the sunny air and that was my cue!

Please tell us about the running order and format of your day, including details of any live music or entertainment.

We wanted our day and the ceremony to be very personal, and it was those personal touches that made it so special for us. Together with my mum and my friend, I spent the day before the wedding making all the centrepieces for the tables, and even had my dad curling grass for the vases! 

I didn’t want a traditional white wedding dress and found my beautiful Alfred Angelo creation right at the last minute in the perfect colour. I carried a beautiful vintage beaded handbag that my friend had carried on her wedding day (complete with a ticket inside to the tea dance it was originally bought for in 1943!). I wore a blue garter which was a surprise gift from a friend (and something I had completely overlooked!). My earrings were a special gift I had been given 14 years ago on the birth of my god-daughter, and went perfectly with my tiara, and I carried my late grandmother’s pearls with me. My uncle Brian read two beautiful poems for us at two points during the ceremony, which gave it a very personal touch, and Rob and I had chosen them especially for our day. We also wrote our own vows and I would recommend this to any couple getting married, as they are the most important and personal words you will say to each other!

After the ceremony we made the most of the sunshine and had some photographs taken on the lawn.

After enjoying the wedding breakfast in the restaurant, we moved back into the lounge and 25 special guests arrived at 5.00 pm. We had special invitations made for our closest friends inviting them from 5.00 pm for the ceremonial cutting of the cake, champagne and photographs. My dad toasted us as we cut the cake, and we enjoyed some quality time with our closest friends and family, some of which had flown over from California and Australia to share the day with us, which was amazing.

At 7.00 pm the party started! 40 more evening guests arrived and the hotel was buzzing with cheerful chatter and laughter. We decided against the traditional wedding disco as it would not have worked with our cosy venue, and we really wanted to hire live music, so we booked solo singer guitarist Steve Young to perform for us, and he was totally fantastic!

Early in the evening the children took over the dance floor and gave us all a show, then after the evening buffet during Steve’s second set it was the adult’s turn, kicking off with our first dance “I’m Yours” by The Script, played and sung beautifully by Steve Young. 

How big an impact did live entertainment have on your wedding day and would you recommend it to others?

It was such a relaxed atmosphere in the evening and this was mainly down to Steve Young’s beautiful and mesmerising performance with his amazing guitar playing and singing. Our guests were totally unaware that they were tapping their feet and swaying along in their seats!

To have live music was a real treat for us and our guests, and Steve played the mood perfectly and included some of our personal favourites in his set. Our guests are still talking about Steve now, and I would definitely recommend having live music to add that extra special touch.

What were your favourite moments of the day?

It’s very difficult to single out particular moments, but if I had to, my favourite moments would be: receiving a text message from Rob, my husband-to-be, very early on the morning, amidst all the chaos, which put tears in my eyes; when I saw my flowers for the first time (I had an idea for a bouquet which wasn’t traditional, but my florist brought my idea to life perfectly); friend after friend turning up on the morning to help me get ready; my dad tripping down the step on our way up the aisle(!); seeing Rob for the first time waiting for me at the end of the aisle, I couldn’t get there quick enough; seeing our friends and family looking so beautiful and so happy; Rob and I being the last to leave the party, and being wished “good morning” instead of “good night” by the hotel staff! And finally, seeing our wedding photographs, which revealed so many wonderful personal moments between our guests, all captured on film without their knowledge, they tell the complete story of the day.

What pearls of wisdom or words of advice would you extend to future brides and grooms who are planning their perfect wedding?

Try to be as organised as possible and do as much as possible yourself, and as far in advance as you can. It saved us enough money for a honeymoon! Chill out, if people want to help with things then let them, they will be delighted to be part of the preparations for your special day! Remember, it is impossible to please everybody so don’t fret over making everybody else happy and make your day your own. Our day absolutely flew by in a flash, so make time at various points throughout the day to soak up the atmosphere and remember every detail.

To have live music was a real treat for us and our guests, and Steve played the mood perfectly and included some of our personal favourites in his set. Our guests are still talking about Steve now, and I would definitely recommend having live music to add that extra special touch.